Google Earth Elevation API Example

elevation.py

import json, time
import urllib.request, urllib.parse

def elevation_list(locations):
    KEY = "GENERATE YOUR OWN KEY, B-BAKA~ ~,~"
    
    base_url = 'https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/elevation/json'

    url = base_url + '?' + urllib.parse.urlencode({
        'locations': "|".join("%s,%s" % (lat, lng) for lat, lng in locations),
        'key': KEY,
    })

    current_delay = 0.1  # 100ms.
    max_delay = 3600     # 1h.

    while True:
        try:
            response = urllib.request.urlopen(url).read()
        except IOError:
            pass
        else:
            result = json.loads(response.decode().replace("\n", ""))
            if result['status'] == 'OK':
                return [elem['elevation'] for elem in result['results']]
            elif result['status'] != 'UNKNOWN_ERROR':
                # INVALID_REQUEST or ZERO_RESULTS
                raise Exception(result['error_message'])
        if current_delay > max_delay:
            raise Exception('Too many retry attempts.')
        print ('Waiting', current_delay, 'seconds before retrying.')
        time.sleep(current_delay)
        current_delay *= 2

def elevation_point(lat, lng):
    return elevation_list([(lat, lng)])
    
elev = elevation_point(39.7391536,-104.9847034)
print ('Elevation:', elev)
print ("If it's not", 1608.637939453125, "you're in a problem.")